The present invention relates generally to beverages with high-intensity sweeteners, and more particularly to acidified beverages containing oligosaccharides and at least one high-intensity sweetener.
Oligosaccharides are gaining in popularity as food ingredients. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,763 there is disclosed a sweetening agent consisting of galactooligosaccharide and aspartame. Certain oligosaccharides, especially non-digestible oligosaccharides such as inulin and oligofructose have the benefits of acting as dietary fiber while being very soluble in aqueous solution so as not to unduly disturb the sensual characteristics of a beverage. It has been further found as of the date of this patent application that oligosaccharides can exhibit sweetness synergy with high-intensity sweeteners, making their use all the more desirable. See HOE 96F356K; HOE 96/F357K; European Application Nos. PCT/EP97/06756 and PCT/EP97/06845.
Beverage compositions, particularly beverage compositions sweetened with a peptide sweetener such as aspartame, tend to lose sweetness over time especially under acidic conditions. It is accordingly desirable to develop beverage flavor systems which retain their sweetness characteristics over extended time intervals.
It has been found that under acidic aqueous conditions, oligosaccharides will hydrolyze to their sweeter monosaccharide units and thus stabilize the sweetness of a beverage composition. This feature will compensate for the decomposition over time of a peptide sweetener such as aspartame in a beverage. Thus, in accordance with the present invention it is possible to significantly extend the shelf life of acidified beverages such as iced tea, colas or others while providing for additional dietary fiber. It is important that the oligosaccharide does not completely hydrolyze into its component units too quickly or the fiber benefits would be lost and the sweetness of the component monosaccharides would have to be taken into account when formulating the beverage. In general, the oligosaccharides used in accordance with the present invention are believed to be those which decompose into their monosaccharide components by at least 0.5 per cent by weight but not more than about 50 per cent by weight over a period of four weeks under ambient conditions at a pH from about 3 to 4. Typically from about 2 to about 25 per cent by weight decomposition of the oligosaccharide over such time period and under the aforesaid conditions is believed desirable.
In general, acidified beverages with stabilized sweeteners and extended shelf life in accordance with the present invention include: (a) water; (b) an edible acid component present in an amount operable to maintain the pH of the beverage preferably in the range of from about 3 to about 4 and optionally up to about 5 or even up to less than about 6; (c) at least one high intensity peptide sweetener; and (d) a water soluble non-ingestible oligosaccharide. Preferred oligosaccharides are those which are non-digestible and undergo significant hydrolysis within about 4 weeks at ambient conditions within the aforesaid pH range such that the solvolyzed units contribute substantial sweetness to said beverage over time. Typically, the acid component is operable to maintain the pH of the beverage in the range of from about 3 to about 3.5 and more preferably in the range of from about 3 to about 3.25. Many acids may be employed, however, phosphoric acid, citric acid, malic acid, and mixtures of these acids are the most common.
Particularly preferred are non-digestible oligosaccharides such as oligofructose and inulin. Beverages in accordance with the invention may contain a peptide sweetener, such as aspartame, or both acesulfame K and aspartame. Preferred ratios by weight of aspartame to acesulfame K are from about 1:2 to about 10:1 with about 1:1 to about 5:1 being preferred for some beverages.
In the description which follows, colas and iced tea beverages are specifically exemplified; however, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to any particular example or embodiment, rather the spirit and scope of the invention is set forth in the appended claims.